U.S. Pat. No. 4,748,543, for a HIDDEN SOURCE FLUORESCENT LIGHT WASH FIXTURE issued in 1988 to R. Swarens, contains background information and prior art references relevant to the present invention: that patent and the present invention address offset hidden source type lighting fixtures designed especially for the purpose of providing architecturally distinctive indirect lighting treatments wherein a fixture (or row of side-by-side fixtures), flush mounted into a flat surface such as wall or ceiling of a room, "washes" a nearby flat surface such as a wall, floor or ceiling, perpendicular to the mounting surface, with uniform illumination.
In the abovementioned patent a thin flexible offset reflective lining is adhesively attached to a rigid aluminum reflector mounting body extruded in a special compound curved shape having an offset lamp-surround portion blending into an extended "throw" portion so as to provide uniform "wash" illumination from the fluorescent lamp concealed within the lamp-surround portion.
Further development and marketing of this type of lighting fixture has led to the invention of an alternative reflector configuration and associated mounting system for an improved "wash" lighting fixture of the offset hidden source type, based on refinements of the optical principles of U.S. Pat. No. 4,748,543, but providing new benefits with regard to illumination coverage, producibility, and reflector replaceability.
It is particularly important to suppress spurious highlights reflected from parts of the housing around the window opening and to fully shield the source from direct view while at the same time providing maximal uniform area of "wash" illumination from a close-in fixture location.
Easy removal and replacement of the reflector, providing access to the ballast and wiring, is of benefit in manufacture, field installation and maintenance. Since it is usually preferred to operate this type of fixture without any protective window for optical and aesthetic excellence, there is further advantage in making the reflector easily replaceable.